Don't Mess with Time
by MonsterMonsoon
Summary: "My name is Wilson P. Higgsbury. And you are?" "Everyone calls me Hat Kid." Due to a cracked Time Piece, Hat Kid travels to a new, dangerous dimension. She must find the Time Piece before winter comes. But she has found unusual help. And a possible friend.
1. A Meeting of Minds

Hat Kid hummed to herself as she put some time pieces away. She was going alright! She had 20 or so. Halfway there! And she was making friends as she went; some of the Mafia, the Conductor, DJ Grooves, and she had begun to start seeing Snatcher more often.

She paused as she went to grab a Time Piece. It was one she had gotten from the Subcon forest; she had forgotten about it until now. It was cracked slightly on one edge, and there were dark shapes moving around inside.

Well, that wasn't good.

She picked it up, inspecting it. What could have happened? What could have cracked it? A cracked Time Piece was such an unstable thing, who knew what could happen if-

"Ow!" she yelped. The cracked glass had cut her finger. She dropped the Time Piece, and everything seemed to slow down as she watched it slam into the ground, shattering into pieces.

She could feel the world melt around her, as black shadows filled her vision. She was falling, things were grabbing at her. But as she started to black out, she could see the Time Piece falling after her.

She needed it!

She had to fix this!

And then everything went dark.

* * *

Hat Kid was laying flat on her face. Her ears were ringing, everything hurt.

She could feel course grass tickle her nose and scratch her face. She could feel a breeze on her back, and heard birds chirping around. She cracked open an eye. Her vision spun, making her feel sick. She could see the green of the grass, and red blobs she assumed to be birds. Distant green blobs, she assumed trees, swayed in the breeze.

She groaned and closed her eyes. Everything ached. She'd get up in a few minutes.

She heard footsteps.

Hat Kid tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't listen. She fell back onto the ground with a soft thud.

The footsteps become louder, and somewhat frantic.

"...Hello?" she heard someone ask. It was masculine in nature. She wanted to answer, but her throat was dry. She coughed quietly.

"Oh Gods, you're alive- don't be afraid!" the voice assured her. She tried to open her eyes, and saw some dark blobs nearby. Feet, maybe?

"I'm going to move you, don't be alarmed." the voice told her. She could feel hands gently grab her, and move her to a sitting position. "You're alright. You're alright." he whispered, comforting Hat Kid, and possibly himself. "Try to open your eyes."

Hat Kid fidgeted, doing as she was told. Her vision swam for a moment, but she kept them open. "Thank you." she looked at the helpful voice, wanting to properly see him.

It was a tall, gangly man, with thick black hair and deep brown eyes. He was wearing a red vest, and black pants and gloves. His face was smudged with dirt and thin, but there was life in his eyes. He smiled at her. "Hello there!"

She couldn't help but smile back. "Hi!"

"Can you stand?" he asked, offering a hand. His fingers were black, his nails forming claws. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

Hat Kid took his hand, and he helped her stand up. She was still a little achy, but not as bad as before. "Thanks mister!" she said, fixing her hat and outfit. "Who are you?"

The man stood up, towering over her. He gave a small bow; one hand in front, one in back. "My name is Wilson P. Higgsbury." He extended a hand to the girl. "And you are?"

She giggled, shaking his hand with both of hers. "Everyone calls me Hat Kid!"

"That's an odd name-" he slowly took his hand back, looking her over. "You're...a child." he stated. He groaned, holding his head in his hands. _"I can't believe the bastard brought a child here..."_

She frowned. Did she do something wrong. "Who?"

"Maxwell." he hissed. "You know, 'Hey Pal, you better find something to eat before night comes'." he mocked, pretending to hold something between his index and thumb.

Hat Kid shook her head. "I don't know any Maxwell. Do you know a DJ Grooves?"

Wilson looked confused. "N-No?"

"The Conductor?"

"No."

"...Snatcher? The Mafia."

"Sorry, no. And you won't find them here." he went on a knee, so he could talk on her level. "This is a place I call, the Constant. It's a...bad place, separated from other places by an endless ocean."

"Is this place in another dimension? Another time and space?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Wilson chuckled, glancing away. "I was trying to explain it in simpler terms, but you clearly know your stuff, little lady!" he grew serious. "But yes. This is a separate, pocket dimension. A place not for a child such as yourself."

"Now, I don't know how you got here if you don't know who Maxwell is-" Wilson started to mumble to himself, standing up and pacing in a small circle.

Hat Kid took the time to properly look around. The grass was thick and course, but low. A sort of yellowish green. The trees in the distance were a deep green, and looked like pine trees. The sky was a grayish blue. Everything had the feeling of being dead, or dying.

 _ribbit._

She gasped, looking to her side. It was a frog! With...horns. And large white eyes. But still a frog.

"Hi froggy!"

She felt someone pick her up. Wilson moved some distance away from the odd frog before placing her down. "Did you hear the part when I said, 'This place is not for a child such as yourself'?" he asked, looking worried. "I'm sorry, I should explain. This place is _extremely dangerous_. One wrong move and...well you'll regret it."

She scoffed. "I can handle myself, Wilson! Check out these guns!" she flexed her tiny arms, sticking her tongue out. "Plus, I have this!" she pulled out her umbrella.

Wilson couldn't help but smile. "I don't doubt your courage. But, I still worry. This world is dangerous. And I can't, in good conscience, allow you to wander around by yourself. I think-"

Wilson paused, stiffening up. He looked at the horizon. Hat Kid looked too, to see a sunset. "That's really pretty!" she said, awestruck.

"It's getting dark. We should go to my camp." he offered his hand to her again. "Would you care to join me?"

"Oh! You like camping?" she asked, taking his hand.

He smiled, although it looked a bit fake. "Not...voluntarily."

* * *

Wilson's 'camp' was certainly an odd one. Hat Kid hadn't gone camping too many times, but she knew this was a little...unorthodox. It was just a fire pit, some logs to sit on, and several strange structures nearby.

"It's not much, I apologize. I wasn't expecting guests." he laughed. "But, this is what I have. A fire pit, some logs-" he paused mid sentence. "I knew I forgot something, stay here, please? I forgot some things. You're perfectly safe. I'll be back before night falls."

Wilson set his backpack down, riffling through it. She tried to look over his shoulder to look inside the bag, seeing a variety of strange objects. Eventually, he pulled out an woodcutting axe. He smiled at her, and then he was gone.

Once he was gone, she started to go through his stuff. Rocks, shiny rocks, sharp rocks, mushrooms, bunches of red orbs, sticks, small logs, grass? And a pickaxe. She was starting to think maybe her rescuer was a few eggs short of a dozen. He seemed nice enough, but who knows what he was truly like.

She closed the backpack. She had no right to accuse him of being anything but nice. He seemed to know how things worked here, and it didn't seem like she was on the planet she was previously stranded on anymore.

She wandered over to one of the machines. It looked like a rudimentary crock pot. She opened the lid; nothing. The other machine was very large, and she couldn't really describe it. It was lumpy and big, with a lever and gears.

"Do you like it?"

Hat Kid turned around. Wilson was back, holding a bunch of carrots and more red orbs. "It's my Science Machine! I use it to build things."

"Science Machine?" she asked. "Are you a scientist?"

Wilson beamed at her. "I am! A heck of a scientist, if I do say so myself. This machine breaks items into their scientific components, and I use that to build things!" he glanced at her, and she could hear the excitement in his voice. "Do you like science, little one?"

She nodded. "Yeah!"

"Then we'll get along great!" he went to his backpack, pulling out some sticks, logs and sharp rocks. He started a fire, and called her over. "I hope you don't mind carrots and berries for dinner. There's not, well, a market nearby."

"Oh, I don't mind." she was a guest. Best to not be rude.

"Hold these-" he said, handing her the bunch of carrots. She picked one up, crunching the edge slightly. It was definitely a carrot.

She could hear snickering. "Don't you want it cooked?" Wilson asked, exchanging the bunch of carrots for a handful of cooked berries. "The one you bit is yours then."

The berries were sweet and juicy. Kinda like jam. He carefully handed her a cooked carrot. They ate, Wilson saying how much he disliked carrots, saying how they came out of the dirt.

They finished eating just as night fell. Hat Kid gasped as the entire area went completely dark, save the campfire. She couldn't see anything outside of the fire's light. It was frightening.

"Is that normal?" she asked, moving closer to him. He'd protect her, right?

"It is, sadly. Stay close to the fire, little one. There are nasty things in the dark." he warned her. "Now, little one. I have lots of questions for you."

She looked at him. He looked very serious. "O-OK." she gripped her umbrella tightly.

"Now, how did you get here, exactly? You have no idea who Maxwell is, which is how I got here." he paused, looking for words. "Who are you, child?"

Hat Kid took a deep breath. This was going to take a while. "OK. I'm gonna talk, don't say anything until I'm done."

Hat Kid told Wilson everything. Their ship, the time pieces, Mafia Town, Dead Bird Studios, the Subcon, and the cracked Time Piece that brought her here. He was silent the entire time, his facial expressions ranging from serious to confused.

"And I dropped the Time Piece, and because it was cracked and unstable, it must have taken me to this dimension." she heaved a sigh. That was a lot to explain. "And the Time Piece should be somewhere in this dimension, and if I find it, I can go home!"

Wilson was quiet, thinking. Without warning, he burst into laughter. "That's got to be the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time! You have quite the imagination, little one!"

"No! It's true! All of it! I can prove it!" she reached in her pockets, pulling out her brewing hat. "Could a normal kid do this!?" she pulled an explosive vial from the hat, throwing it into the darkness. In the distance, the two could hear and see an explosion, and the loud, angry wail of a monster.

Wilson stared into the darkness, dumbfounded. "I-I...I guess you're right." he turned back to her. "I'm sorry for doubting you. But understand what you told me goes against _everything_ I've ever known as a scientist."

"If I find the time piece, I can go home." she repeated.

"Hold that thought." he said, reaching into his bag, pulling out a paper and charcoal. "Draw me a Time Piece."

She took the paper and charcoal, and tried to draw what a time piece looked like. "I'm not the best, but it's essentially a very important looking hourglass." she explained, showing him the paper.

He took the paper, studying it. "I'll help you find it. I know this world best."

Hat Kid gasped, jumping forward and hugging him tight. "Thank you so much! You're the best Wilson!"

Wilson froze, like a scared animal. But slowly, he returned the hug. "It's nothing, I promise. It's the right thing to do."

"I can't wait! I know..I know.." she paused, yawning.

"It's late. Little ones need sleep. Here-" he took off his red vest, placing it on her like a blanket. "I'll watch the fire, OK? Get some rest." he assured her, ruffling her hair.

She nodded, taking off her hat and laying her head on his leg. Soon, gentle snoring could be heard.

Wilson threw another log into the fire, and pulled out a book, and charcoal from his bag.

 _Wilson's Log_

 _Day: ?_

 _I am not alone. I have found a young child. She had incredible powers, but is naive to the dangers of this world. I wish to help her._

 _She wants to find..a 'Time Piece'. She thinks it will get her home._

 _It's worth a shot._

 _Science will prevail._

* * *

Conductor looked around from the caboose of his train. Where was she? The Lassie was supposed to visit him today. This was so unlike her.

He glanced up in the sky. He saw the stars, the moon, and her ship.

Where could she be?


	2. A Puzzle and a Pinkie Promise

Hat Kid was not a morning person. If given the option, she would spend most of the day in her bed. Play video games all night and sleep all day. She was definitely a night owl. However, as she started to become more aware, she realized that she was _not_ in her bed.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Where was she again?

In a flash, she remembered everything. She looked down to see Wilson's vest still draped over her like a blanket. It was bright, the birds were chirping and hopping around, the fire was out.

No Wilson.

"Hello?" she called out, standing up. She held onto his vest; he'd most likely want that back. "Mister Wilson?"

"Ah! You're awake!" Wilson looked out from behind some trees nearby. "I was just chopping some wood."

As he walked over to greet the little alien, she handed him the vest. "Good morning." she chirped. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long. Want some breakfast?" he put his vest back on, and reached into his bag. "It's not much, but it's better than nothing." he gave Hat Kid a handful of red berries. He sat down on the log nearby, pulling out a large piece of paper. "Now, I haven't properly explored this world _yet_ , but I have begun mapping it."

She sat next to him, eating the tart berries that made her wrinkle her nose. She was a little confused how he said 'this world' but decided not to ask.

"So, we need to find your Time Piece before winter comes. Once winter comes, we'll be sitting ducks. We still have quite some time before Winter, but still, the sooner we find it the better. Now, you landed here." he drew a little hat and circled it. "So, your Time Piece should be around there."

"I'm ready to go whenever you are!" she exclaimed, fixing her hat and brandishing her umbrella like a sword.

He smiled, ruffling her hair. "Alright, little one. You certainly have a good attitude! Let me grab some more supplies, and we'll be out."

* * *

It was a short walk back to where he found Hat Kid. He marked the point on his map, and started walking. "We'll travel this way for now. Stay close to me, dear."

She nodded, walking close to her protector. This world was so strange, but she knew it was dangerous.

"Oh! I made you something." he stopped, pulling something out of his bag. It was a long wooden spear. "To protect yourself."

"No thanks! I have my umbrella." she cheerily responded.

Wilson seemed taken aback. "A-Are you sure? I mean that umbrella is nice and all but-"

"Nope! I'm good! You keep it."

He stuttered, trying to respond. Eventually, he sighed. "OK." he raised the spear slightly. "I get the point."

She loudly groaned. "That was so bad."

He snickered. "I'm just glad someone else is here to enjoy my terrible jokes. I'm glad I have someone else to talk and listen to!"

"How long have you been here? Is there anyone else?"

Wilson grew quiet. "I've been here...for quite some time. As for others, I haven't seen many. I'm assuming they're-" he stopped himself. "er, gone. But that's not important. What I am curious about, is you. Tell me about yourself."

"One time I stopped a train from blowing up!"

"Really?"

* * *

"And that's how I got peanut butter stuck in my nose."

"You certainly are an odd little duck, aren't you?" he chuckled. He looked at his map. "Be careful up ahead. This is uncharted territory."

Wilson stopped to check the map, mumbling to himself. Hat Kid saw something sparkle in the corner of her eye. She gasped quietly, trying to see what it was. She could only see a glimmer near large, white towers.

She rushed over. Could it be her Time Piece?

She frowned as she picked up a shiny gold nugget. This wasn't what she wanted. But she knew Wilson liked them, so she held onto it. The white towers were strange and foreboding, and she swore they pulsated slightly, but they weren't killing her; so she assumed they were fine.

There was another glimmer nearby.

She found nugget after nugget of gold. No Time Pieces here. She sighed, fixing her hat and turning to leave. But, she found herself surrounded by the white towers. "Um, Wilson?" she called out, noticing the white, sticky stuff on the floor.

She hesitantly touched a white tower with her hand. It was sticky, but also silky at the same time. She made a noise of disgust as she pulled her hand away. The tower she touched pulsated and quivered, and a gross monster skittered out of it.

It was the size of a basketball, with black course fur and lots of white eyes. It had 6 spindly legs, and a massive mouth that took up most of it's body. It hissed and snarled at her, raising a few of it's legs above it's head.

"WILSON!" Hat Kid cried out, brandishing her umbrella. More of these monsters started to scurry out of the other white towers. A sick feeling washed over her as she realized these white towers were made of webs.

 _These were monster spiders._

Hat Kid hit one that was getting a little too close as hard as she could with her umbrella. She swiped at another one, knocking it away. There was so many! And there were even more coming out, now with green and yellow stripes.

She needed to get out.

Using one of the spiders as a foothold, she bounced off one spider and jumped away, starting to run. She could hear the loud hissing and skittering as they followed her. Using her umbrella to swipe and smack any that came too close.

One jumped right in front of her, snarling and hissing loudly at her. There was a sickening _twack_ as an axehead swung right into the monster.

Wilson was panting, covered in green slime and dirt. He pulled the axe out, and grabbed Hat Kid. He ran out of the enormous spider nest, holding the small girl with one hand and the axe in another.

Once they were at a good distance, enough for the spiders to give up following them. He was breathing heavily, slowly dropping her to the floor, and going on his hands and knees. Her heart was racing. "That was so scary. Are you OK?" she pat his arm.

He sat up, brushing the hair out of his face. "Are you OK?" he asked breathlessly, "What were you doing? How, how-how did you manage to stay alive?" he stammered, gingerly looking her over for wounds.

"My umbrella!" she explained, holding up her bug-goop soaked umbrella. "Ew gross. I thought these shiny things were my Time Piece from a distance..." she pulled out a handful of the gold nuggets, placing them in Wilson's lap. "Are you OK?"

Wilson was in shock. Looking at her, the pile of gold she had dropped in his lap, then back to her. He started laughing, scooping her up in a hug. "I'm fine! I'm so glad you're OK! You're not hurt, or anything? Did any of the spiders bite you?"

"N-No?" she asked, surprised by the sudden hug. "My head hurts, but-"

"Ah! Hold that thought! I made you this earlier." he started digging through his backpack, and pulled out a flower crown. It was somewhat clumsily made, but it was nice. He placed it around the brim of her hat. He pulled another, less well made one, from his bag.

"If you interact with scary things too much, you'll start to go _cuckoo_! Little things like these help. If your head starts to hurt, pick flowers." he explained, placing the other crown on his head. "So, no Time Piece, huh?"

Hat Kid shook her head, frowning. "No Time Piece."

He pulled out the map, scribbling little spiders and crossing out the nearby area. "Hey, don't give up. Think about the bright side. Now we know it's _not_ over there! It's like a puzzle."

"A puzzle?"

"We just need to narrow down where it isn't. You like puzzles, don't you?"

"I like puzzles. I'm good at puzzles!" she answered, thinking about her time on the planet her ship was currently stranded at.

She was struck by sudden feelings of homesickness. She missed her ship. She missed Mafia Town, and Dead Bird Studios, and the Subcon, and all of it. She missed the Conductor, and DJ Grooves, and Snatcher, and even some of the Mafia goons. She even missed Mustache Girl a little bit.

Hat Kid started crying.

Wilson quickly put his map away, turning to the sobbing child. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's wrong?"

"I..I wanna go back to my ship!" she bawled, wiping her face.

"And you will!" he assured, hugging her tight. "We're going to find your Time Piece, and send you back! I promise! Everything will work out."

"...pinkie promise?" she sniffled.

"I don't know what that is."

She pulled away. "So, so you take your hand like this," she took his hand, and raised her pinkie finger. "And you grab the other person's pinkie finger like this, and you shake hands as you make a promise. And you can't ever, ever break it."

Wilson looked at her solemnly. "I, Wilson P Higgsbury, promise that-"

"No no, you gotta say pinkie promise!" she giggled.

He couldn't help but smile. "I, Wilson P Higgsbury, pinkie promise that I will protect you, and that we will find that Time Piece."

He stood up, dusting off his pants and picking up his backpack. "I'm hungry. Let's take a break."

* * *

"GROOVES! HOW DARE YE STEAL ME LASSIE!" Conductor screeched, bursting through the doors of the Penguin's side of the studio.

"Darling, we're recording. Can this wait?" DJ Grooves sighed, placing the megaphone down and hopping out of his seat.

"Me and the lil' lass was _SUPPOSED_ to have a lovely little get together yesterday. "BUT SHE DIDN'T SHOW. HOW DARE YE TAKE HER!"

"I have no idea what you mean. Why would I ruin your get together? She was supposed to see me today anyways. But she never showed."

Conductor was about to continue shouting, but something more pressing stopped him. "So, wait. If ye didn't take her yesterday, and she didn't show up today..."

DJ Grooves came to the same realization. "Could something have happened?"

"Maybe someone took her!" Conductor's temper flared again, willing to strangle anyone who laid a hand on the girl.

"I doubt that. She can handle herself. Maybe she's sick. Or she's in that Subcon Forest." the penguin pat the owl on the shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine, Conductor."

"Oh right..the Subcon." The Conductor fiddled with his hands. "...I hope the Lass is OK..."


	3. A Bowling Ball on the Chess Board

Hat Kid happily munched on a carrot. She held Wilson's hand, and he gave a side wise glance and a smile before returning to his map. She couldn't remember if he had a carrot too. She brushed that thought aside when he stopped.

"We probably need to make camp for tonight. C'mon, I'll teach you how to make a fire." he set the backpack down, and taught her how to pick grass and sticks, how to properly hold flint so you won't cut yourself, and how to start the fire. "Now, I'm going to trust you not to set forest fires."

Hat Kid laughed, promising her guardian that she wouldn't set the forest ablaze, unless there was a good reason.

"Now, I have a very important job. I dunno...are you up to the task?" he gave a sly grin.

She puffed out her chest and saluted. "Yes sir!"

"Atta girl!" he ruffled her hair. "I need you to guard the camp while I look for dinner. OK? I won't be far. If you need anything, just holler."

"I like the idea of dinner. Although I'm a little sick of carrots and berries. But if that's all there is I'm fine!" she said quickly, not wanting to sound rude.

"I hear you. I'll see what I can do." he grabbed his spear. "Wish me luck! If you need me, just call!"

And he was gone.

* * *

Wilson was starving. He hadn't had breakfast or lunch today. His supplies were already running low when he found the little girl, but he had refused to let her go hungry. That would go against everything he stood for.

He needed food, and he needed it _now_.

He found a couple berry bushes and carrots. That was alright, but he kept searching. He wanted something more. Perhaps, some rabbit? He clenched the fist holding the spear tightly, his mouth watering at the idea.

"Say pal. You don't look so well."

Wilson's blood went cold. He spun around behind him, to see nothing. "I know you're there! Come out!" he growled, brandishing the spear with the intent to kill.

"Relax pal. You and I both know you can't hurt me. I just want to talk." Maxwell purred, once again sounding from behind Wilson.

The scientist sighed, forcing himself not to strangle Maxwell immediately as he lowered the spear and turned around. Maxwell's smug grin made him feel sick. "What do you want?" Wilson hissed. "I'm a little busy trying to survive your Hell World. Thanks, by the way."

"It's about the girl."

Wilson felt fear in the back of his throat and bubble in the pit of his stomach. "What about her?! You keep your filthy hands off her you rat bastard-"

Maxwell blew smoke from his cigar into Wilson's face, and flicked the flower crown off his head. " _I'm_ not going to do anything. But I can't say the same about my creations. But the point I want to make is simple. _She doesn't belong here, Higgsbury_."

"So what? I'm fairly certain I don't belong here either."

"Let me explain it like this. You and I, are playing a game of chess. And then, that child runs in and drops a _bowling ball_ in the middle of the board. She barged her way in, and wants to barge her way out." Maxwell was getting angrier by the minute. "Her abilities conflict with this world. Her _ridiculous_ hats and umbrella, and worse yet, she has this annoying ability to give _you_ sanity when you spend time with her."

Wilson gave a smug grin. "That sounds like your problem."

Maxwell had another long puff of his cigar before turning back to the other man, grinning wickedly. "I believe...it is both of our problems, Mr. Higgsbury."

Wilson's smile faded, and he gulped.

"I know you like, and care about her. You ' _pinkie promised_ ' that you would protect her. Well, I'm going to do everything in my power to _remove_ the bowling ball from the playing field." Maxwell hissed.

Wilson paled. "You...you snake!"

 _"Wilson!"_ came a faint cry. The gentleman scientist gave Maxwell one last death stare before rushing off to her.

* * *

Wilson burst through trees and bushes to his temporary camp. "What's wrong?! Are you OK?!" Covered in sap, pine needles and thistles, he scanned the area for anything that could be perceived as a threat. He looked at Hat Kid, who was pointing at something.

It was a beefalo.

Technically it was several. They mooed at the two of them. Hat Kid was standing near the fire, holding her umbrella like a sword. Wilson gave a wheezy laugh, happy that she was OK, and recovering from the near heart attack he had from anxiety.

"Should I attack it?!" she asked, stepping closer.

"No! No, no!" he quickly stepped between her and the nearest Beefalo. "It's a Beefalo! C'mere, they won't hurt you as long as you don't hurt it. Or get too close during mating season." he said this last part with a bit of venom.

Hat Kid hesitantly stepped closer. Wilson urged her closer, picking her up and carrying her closer to the large animal. "It smells!" she gagged, holding her nose.

"Yeah, they're a little smelly." he pet the Beefalo on the head. "They're kinda soft though. And their manure make great fertilizer for farms."

Hat Kid heard one word. 'Soft'.

She leaned forward, petting the Beefalo with both hands. It felt like a thick, warm carpet. "I'm sorry I was gonna hit you with my Umbrella." she apologized to the animal, who made a surprised noise. "Don't think about it too much." she whispered back.

He set her down, and she started to walk around the large beast, petting it and talking to it about nothing in particular. His head was killing him, and he was hungry. Part of him, most likely a rather primitive part of his brain, was telling him to eat a Beefalo. He grit his teeth, suppressing the urge. That would be a very bad idea. He knew from lots of experience.

Wilson got into his bag, pulling out his trusty map. Drawing some beefalo, expanding the map slightly. "We have a few minutes of daylight- hey! Stop making faces at the Beefalo!" he scolded, as she stuck her tongue out at the large beast.

He walked to her, and with the tone of an angry parent said, "That's how you get kicked, you know." She yelped, hiding behind his legs before continuing to make faces at the Beefalo.

Rolling his eyes, he returned to his map, and looked at the surrounding area. There were three biomes they had to explore. A vast grassland, a huge forest, and a disgusting swamp. "Hm. Dear, pick a number between one and three."

"Did you just call me dear?" she asked, her face turning red.

He leaned down, poking her nose. "Yes, because you are _dear_ to me. Pick a number between one and three."

"Hmmm, one." she answered. "Why?"

"Just narrowing down where to search. Tomorrow we'll search the grasslands over there. Then the woods, then...the swamp. Eugh."

"Is the swamp really gross?" she wrinkled her nose. Swamps didn't sound appealing, if the one in the Subcon were anything to go by.

"It's rather unpleasant, yes. And very dangerous. One of the most dangerous biomes here. But, they can be traversed with caution." he rolled the map up, placing it back in his bag. "Now. We should start exploring the grasslands now, and return to temporary camp when it gets dark. Ready, little one?"

She nodded, taking his hand. "Ready!"

* * *

Hat Kid found the grasslands very boring. It was an eternity of dead, yellow grass and holes. There was the occasional Beefalo, but they grew boring as well. Wilson's pace was hard to keep up with and she was starting to get tired. It was quite some time before she saw something new.

It was a bunny.

"Bunny!" she cried, pointing to it.

"Where?" he asked, looking for it. "Oh! There it is!"

Hat Kid took a few steps closer. It had the same white eyes as everything else, and it sure looked like a bunny. But it had horns. Strange. "I wanna catch it!"

"As do I. I've been craving some meat in my diet." Wilson set his bag down, digging through it.

"Yeah! WAIT NO!" she turned back to him. "You're gonna eat it?! It's so cute though!"

Wilson stuttered, "Well-well yeah I was planning on it. I mean, survival of the fittest and what not, and-"

"But look at it's face!" she said, pointing at the rabbit, who was currently doing rabbit-y things and paying no mind to the two.

His eye twitched. His head hurt. Continuing to dig in his bag, he said, "I know it looks cute, but it's a reliable food source and a good source of protein which is needed in a good diet. I mean, it's not like they're going to go extinct." he rolled his eyes. "They're _rabbits_. They breed like rabbits."

"B-But, but it's so cute..." she whimpered, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"Here. Let's make a deal. I'll set this trap," he pulled out a trap from his bag. "And we'll check it later. If there's a rabbit in it, good for us, and if it doesn't, good for the rabbit. OK?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. She watched him set the trap, and as they walked away, she whispered to the rabbit, "Don't go in the trap!"

* * *

"Any Time Piece yet?" he asked the small girl as they reached a cliff.

"Have you tried swimming away?" she asked, looking down over the cliff.

"Yes. It didn't end well. Get away from the edge, I don't want you falling in now." he said gently, marking the cliff on his map.

Suddenly, the sun began to set. Wilson, looked up from the map, looking pale. "...shit." he cursed quietly to himself. "C'mon, we should head back now. I don't wanna be left alone in the dark."

They began to quickly walk back. Although he did take the time to check the rabbit trap, which he found empty. Angrily grumbling to himself, he packed his trap back up.

"Wilson?" Hat Kid whispered fearfully, pointing to the sun. It was almost set, the last few rays touching the island. She could see it start to get dark.

Currently, he was digging through his bag, in an attempt to start a fire. "I'm out of logs?" he asked to no one in particular.

She yelped, running back and clinging tightly to his leg as the world went dark.

Then there was light. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up to see Wilson holding a torch. He smiled at her. "I'm here, my dear. No need to fear."

"...that was smooth." she said quietly.

He chuckled. "I've been working on it. Are you OK?"

She nodded. "...can you carry me?" she asked, putting on her best puppy dog eyes she could.

He sighed. "Oh, alright. You're probably tired." he picked her up, doing his best not to accidentally set her on fire. Eventually, he held her to his chest with one arm, and held the torch with the other. "Tomorrow, we'll try the woods. No Time Piece here."

She was tired, actually. She yawned, leaning against him. "Thanks Wilson..." she muttered.

"You can sleep if you want. I don't mind." he said quietly. "I'm just going to walk us back to camp."

Hat Kid gave a small grin. She gave her current guardian and peck on the cheek, then she laid her head on his shoulder, getting comfortable so she could sleep. He grinned sheepishly, his ears turning pink. "Warn me next time, will ya?...Sleep well, dear."

* * *

Maxwell glared at the bright purple pawn that was on his game board. "So, you want to make a mockery of me, eh girlie?"

He waved his hand, and the shadows around him shifted and formed a chess piece, landing in his hand. The piece resembled a hound.

Maxwell grinned. "Well, if you want to change the rules, then you won't mind if I make some adjustments of my own." there was a soft _click_ of the piece as he set it on the board.

"Let's play, girlie."

* * *

Snatcher tried to read his book, but found himself distracted. It had been three days since the kid came to bug him. But her sudden and unexplained absence worried him. Had something happened?

He summoned one of his minions.

"You called, Boss?" the minion squeaked.

"I'm calling a search. Gather more minions and start looking around for the brat. Search everywhere! Every nook and cranny! I want her found, and I want an explanation!" he snarled, dismissing the minion with a hand wave.

Then, Snatcher checked his traps. Then he checked again. And he checked a third time, hoping to find a little hatted girl inside.

But she never came.


	4. Piggies and Puppies

When Hat Kid woke up, she was lying next to a dying camp fire. She was using Wilson's vest as a blanket again. Looking around, she found the scientist sitting on a log nearby, eating a cooked carrot. "Morning, dear." he said as she started moving around. "I tried to find anything other than carrots and berries, but I wasn't very lucky."

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Morning Wilson. It's fine. Here's your vest back."

"After we eat breakfast, we'll start searching through the woods." he pointed to the dark treeline with his carrot. "It's dark in there, and it's easy to get lost. So stick close to me."

She nodded, taking a handful of berries.

"If I may pry," he started, sitting closer to her. "You say how you want to go back to your ship, and your friends. But you haven't mentioned your parents once." he looked at her with concern. "Aren't they worried about you?"

"Probably not." she shrugged. "They abandoned me as a baby."

Guilt flashed on his face. "Well, well uh, I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Don't be. You're worried about me." she pat his arm. "Besides it's not like it's your fault."

"My parents weren't the best either. They were there, but not _...there_. Emotionally. They probably don't know I'm here either." he nudged her gently. "I won't tell your folks you're here as long as you don't tell mine."

She laughed, nearly spitting berries out her nose.

Hat Kid felt a drop of water on her nose. Looking up, she felt more drops of water hit her face. Wilson groaned. "Of course it starts raining. Well, finish eating and we'll head out."

* * *

The Woods were huge and dark. The trees stretched high into the sky, towering over the two of them. She could barely see too far ahead of her, leaving her blindsided. And the heavy rain was turning the dirt into a muddy slush.

Hat Kid felt bad for Wilson. She had her umbrella, and her boots, to protect her from the downpour, but he didn't have anything. His clothes were wet, and his hair was slicked downwards. She offered him the umbrella, but he declined.

They did share the umbrella when he needed to look at the map, though.

She'd normally complain about how it would be impossible to find something in these woods, but she knew that the Time Piece would glow, and make noises as they got closer.

The nearby trees groaned, and she squeezed Wilson's hand tightly. He stopped walking. "Better safe than sorry..." he grumbled, pulling several pine cones from his bag. Kneeling down, he planted the cones.

She looked at him, totally confused. "Don't look at me like that. I haven't lost my mind yet, dear." he assured her. "Sometimes, the trees come alive. But I found that you can pacify them by planting pine cones."

She nodded, glancing at the trees with a newfound suspicion. "Are you sure you don't want my umbrella?" she asked him for the tenth time.

"I told you, I'm fine." he replied, sounding harsher than he meant. "C'mon." she winced, following behind him. She wasn't holding his hand.

After walking some more, he came to a dead stop. Not looking, she bumped into his leg. "Hey, why'd we stop?" she asked, moving ahead.

"Dear, wait-" he tried to warn her, but it was too late.

Hat Kid stared at the human skeleton sprawled out in front of her. It was laying on the ground, looking upwards and stretching one hand out in a pleading gesture. Laying around the skeleton were scattered bits of rock and rope, and nearby a spear was stuck in the ground.

She looked back at Wilson. He gave a serious frown, walking closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting motion. "I'm...sorry. I should have warned you."

"Who were they?" she whispered, gripping his pant leg.

"I...I don't know. It's too late for them now."

She felt tears stream down her cheeks. This poor soul was long gone. He leaned down and hugged her tight. "I'm here. It's OK."

* * *

After scavenging the supplies from the skeleton, the two were back on track. "Is...that a clearing?" she heard Wilson ask himself. He grabbed her hand. "Cross your fingers..."

The clearing was large and full of wooden houses. There was a cobblestone pathway in the middle of it, and berry bushes, carrot patches and grass tufts scattered around.

Hat Kid felt elated. Civilization! Maybe there were people who could help! Or maybe even a proper bathroom!

Her hope shattered as soon as she saw the inhabitants.

Humanoid pig monsters shambled throughout the town, speaking in broken English and snorting at each other. They didn't seem to mind the rain, throwing mud balls at each other. And their smell indicated they didn't have a bathroom.

"These are Pigmen." Wilson sighed, waving a hand towards the village. "They're not helpful. Especially since we don't have food. But, we could look at the King. Pig Kings like shiny things, maybe he has the Time Piece. If he doesn't, that means it's probably not in the woods."

The two stayed on the edge of the clearing, trying to not alarm the inhabitants. The two hid in a bush, and peeked through it at the King. The King was huge and morbidly obese, with massive horns, jewelry(?) and grass clothes. The stench made Hat Kid gag.

"I don't see a Time Piece." he whispered.

"I don't either."

They both sighed, sinking back into the bush. "That means it's probably in the swamp." he muttered, sounding very disappointed.

Wilson winced, holding his head and hunching over. His head hurt and he was starving. Again. She looked at him, and tapped his shoulder. "Are you OK?"

"I'm..fine." he said softly. "I'm just.." he hesitated. "I'm just hungry. That's all. Don't worry about me, we need to find that Time Piece-"

"The Pigs have berry bushes and carrots. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we _...borrow_ them." she gave a mischievous grin.

He returned the smile. "I'll distract them, you gather." he told her, giving her a wink before standing up.

She dashed to the berry bushes, starting to pick the red orbs as fast as she could. She couldn't help but pop a few in her mouth; she was hungry too.

Hat Kid stopped gathering berries, because she heard Pigs screaming. Looking towards the noise, she saw one of the houses on fire, with the Pigs wailing and running around. "WHO DO THIS? MY STUFF!" they wailed. Nearby, Wilson stood there, trying to look nonchalant.

"YOU! UGLY MONKEY MAN! YOU DO THIS?" one of the pigs asked, pointing and getting a little too close for Wilson's comfort.

He gasped in surprise. "What? Me? I would never! But I did see that Pig over there do it." he pointed to a Pig who had not noticed the fire. The original Pig roared, and punched the accused Pig in the back.

Before her very eyes, there was a Piggy War. Pigs punching and kicking and biting one another like mad. Wilson watched from the side, leering at them like a hungry alley cat watching a horde of mice. He was in control, and he knew it.

He glanced at her, motioning for her to keep picking.

She nodded, finishing the berry bushes and moving to the carrots.

As the Pigs slaughtered their own kind, their bodies exploded with a poof, leaving a pile of meat and a piece of their skin behind. This is what Wilson was waiting for. Darting into the fray, snatching the goodies and darting out before any of the other Pigs could notice.

She motioned she was done, and he nodded. The two snuck out of the Pig Village and back into the woods unnoticed with their bounty.

* * *

"That was great!" he squealed, looking at the haul of food from the Pig Village. He snatched Hat Kid up and held her tight, spinning around from excitement. "You did great! That went even better than I hoped!"

"We should probably get it off the muddy ground." she offered, returning the hug.

"You're right, you're right!" he set her down, and began to shove the food into the bag. Although he munched on most of the berries. "We can cook the steak for dinner, and save the rest for later-"

"You're kinda drooling." she said, stifling her laughter.

"I am?" he asked, wiping his mouth. "I'm sorry, I wolfed down a bunch of berries and started thinking about steak."

Hat Kid went quiet. "Do you hear something?"

He finished packing the meat and carrots back in the bag, frowning. "Hm?" he stood up, tense and silent. A look of panic creeped into his features.

"Hounds."

Wilson began to hurriedly take the axe out of his bag. "It's too early for Hounds! They're not supposed to be here for another few day at least!" he picked Hat Kid up with one hand, holding the axe in the other, and started to sprint.

She could feel how tense and fearful he was, and it made her scared as well. "Hounds? Wilson, talk to me here. What are hounds?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. She could hear the baying and barking get louder.

"Hounds are huge monsters who resemble wolves from Hell." he explained dodging tree branches and rocks. "We need to get to the Beefalo. They attack Hounds."

The two burst through the treeline. The Beefalo could be seen on the horizon. So far...

Out of the woods burst the Hounds. Monster canines, covered in thick black fur. They had white eyes and huge mouths lined with razor-sharp teeth. They snarled and barked, chasing after the two.

She screamed. They were horrifying! Easily the size of large cars, and just as fast. "They're gaining on us!"

He skidded to a halt. Setting Hat Kid on the ground, he handed her the backpack. "You need to run towards the Beefalo. I'll stall them."

"NO! You can't! They'll kill you!" she wailed.

"This is non negotiable!" he snapped. "I'll be fine. Go! I'll hold them off!"

She started crying, but did as she was told. She started running towards the Beefalo in the distance. Wilson turned to face the monsters, taking a deep breath and holding his axe with both hands.

The 4 Hounds formed a semi-circle around him. They snarled and pawed at the ground, and they all had a standoff to see who would make the first move.

The Hounds went first.

One charged at him, and he swung the Axe. There was a sickening _squelsh_ as the axe sliced the Hound's face open. It whimpered and backed off. "Yeah! Who's next!?" he challenged.

Another charged at him, and he jumped out of the way, hitting the Hound in the side. The axe broke, leaving the head embedded in the Hound's side, and Wilson with a stick. He slowly looked down at the stick, and back to the Hounds.

The beasts seem to sneer at him.

Two charged at once, one knocking him to his feet and the other trying to maul his face. Using the broken axe handle to hold the Hound back, the Hound with the axe head still in it's side charged again. It began to viciously tear apart his leg.

He screamed in pain as the beast tore his leg open, unable to fight back.

Hat Kid stopped in her tracks, dropping the backpack at her feet. She had to help! She began to run back. Swapping her Top Hat for her Brewing Hat.

"HEY! UGLY!" she yelled. One of the Hounds not attacking Wilson looked up, only to get bashed in the face with her umbrella. The one mauling her companion's leg looked up, roaring at her. "How's the taste of bombs?!" she asked, throwing a vial into it's roaring mouth.

The Hound swallowed, and started to charge at her before exploding in a large poof of ash and dust. Another charged at her, only to get smacked in the face with her umbrella. Two charged at once, hitting each other as she rolled out of the way. They collapsed to the ground, both exploding in a poof of smoke.

Only one Hound remained. It huffed and barked at her, pawing the ground. She readied another vial. "You want me? Come get me!" she roared at it. The Monster roared at her, charging with incredible speed. She threw the vial in it's mouth, and jumped out the way. As the Hound turned to charge again, it exploded like it's brothers.

Once she was sure there were no other Hounds to deal with, she rushed to Wilson's side. He was badly injured, his leg torn open to the bone and bleeding, and his ribs were bruised due to having a Hound on his chest for an extended period of time.

He coughed, trying to sit up. "I thought...I told you to run.."

"I started to, but you were hurt. I had to help!" she helped him sit up. "Are you OK?"

"I will be. Thank you." he said in a tired voice. Taking a deep breath, he slowly stood up, wincing and taking sharp breaths all the while. She circled alongside him as he stumbled and swayed into camp, and helping him sit down near the fire.

"What can I do to help?" she said, trying to look at his leg, but finding herself unable to.

"Well, promise me you will _never_ do anything that reckless again." he ordered, shifting to be more comfortable.

"I don't think I can." she grinned at him.

Wilson shook his head. "Alright then, I have a big job for you. But seeing as how you managed to fight four Hounds at once and get out without a scratch, I don't think you'll have a hard time with it. You remember those spiders?"

She shuddered. How could she forget?

"I need you to kill a few of them."

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Why?"

"Spiders have a gland that can can heal. I trust you can do it?" he asked, his tone soft. "I can understand if you can't."

"I can do it!" she removed her brewing hat, placing her signature top hat on her head. "I'll get you some of those glands! Ew that's a gross word."

"Um, where's the backpack?" he asked, looking around.

"Oh. I'll get that too."

After having an intense fight against Hound Monsters the size of cars, fighting spiders the size of basketball didn't seem so scary or difficult anymore. They were still gross looking and made her head hurt. Hat Kid had lured a few out at a time before whacking them with her umbrella until they poofed out of existence, leaving their spoils behind.

She was counting how many glands she had gathered, when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her foot. She yelped in pain, spinning around to find a spider. It must have snuck up on her. She whacked it to death, figuring she should head back.

She retrieved the backpack, and picked lots of flowers to replace their flower crowns. Wilson was right, picking them did make her head feel better.

She limped back to the camp. "Wilson?" she asked, looking at her companion. He was leaning back on a log, his eyes closed. As she got closer, he seemed to snap out of and sat up slightly.

"Sorry, I was just-" he stopped himself, looking at her up and down. "Are you limping?"

"A spider got my leg a little bit." she whimpered, lifting up her injured leg slightly.

He huffed. "Hey, I'm the only one who can get hurt around here. C'mere." he pat the grass next to him. "I can fix that up too. Give me the backpack, and grab some ash from the fire pit."

Setting the backpack down, she limped over to the fire pit, grabbing several handfuls. "OK. Now what?"

"Give it to me."

She sat next to him, handing him the ash. He had pulled out a piece of paper, placing the spider glands on the paper, dumping the ash on top. Using a rock, he mashed the two together to form a sticky paste. "Show me your bite."

She rolled up her pant leg. Looking at the wound, she grimaced. It looked red and swollen, bleeding slightly. "This might sting. Here-" he offered her his hand. "If it hurts, squeeze my hand."

She nodded, putting on a brave face and took his hand. As he started to glob on the paste, she winced and squeezed his hand. It certainly stung. But when he was done, she felt much better.

He smiled, before looking serious. "Ha..this isn't going to be fun." he murmured, looking at his leg. She still couldn't look at it.

"D-Do you want my hand to squeeze?"

He gave a weak laugh. "As much as I'd like that, I need both hands to do this." he took several deep breaths before he started applying the salve to his own leg. She hid her face in her hands, unable to watch His face twisted in pain as the salve touched the raw flesh and bone. After all the salve was applied, he wrapped the paper around his leg as a form of wrapping.

When it was all said and done, he sighed, leaning back onto the log again. "I forget how much it stings until I apply it."

"Will that help?" she asked, peeking through her fingers.

"My leg will be fine by tomorrow. But having some food in me will certainly speed up the process." he gave a shaky smile. "I'd love some steak."

* * *

As Wilson was unable to move very far, he had to count on Hat Kid to cook two pieces of meat for the both of them along with some carrots. Because she 'needed vegetables in her diet for proper nutrition'.

Cooking them had gone without a hitch, aside from the fact she dropped one on the ground. He assured her that it was fine and he would eat it.

She munched on her mandatory vegetables while her steak cooled, and he had to stop himself from tearing into his like a starved beast. He was a gentleman, and he had company. He had to retain his manners no matter how empty his belly was.

Although it was a little difficult without plates or utensils.

"Can I ask a question?" she asked between bites.

"That was a question." he grinned at her.

She frowned, doing the math in her head. "Can I ask you several questions?"

"I suppose."

"So, so earlier you said that 'It's too early for Hounds' and you know so much about how this world works, but your map is so empty, and how you said you haven't explored 'This World' so much. So what do you mean by all of that?" she asked, slurring her words together by how fast she was talking.

Wilson was quiet, slowly eating his steak as he thought about how to answer. "So, I did not end up here like you did. I didn't accidentally teleport here using extraterrestrial time magic."

"It's not magic-"

"I was tricked here, by a demon in a bad suit. He promised me knowledge and to help with my work. I agreed, and he had me build a portal that brought me here."

"Maxwell." she replied.

He nodded. "The very same. He controls everything in this world. I am a pawn in his amusement. And sometimes...things don't go my way. And I die." he faltered, looking for words. "When I die, I wake up in another version of his world. All of the rules are the same, but the island shifts and I start from day one."

"How long have you been here?" she asked, feeling pity for her friend.

"God only knows. Long enough to know how everything works. And, this brings me to my biggest fear. You, my dear, are not under Maxwell's control. You elude him and his magical bullshit. Pardon my french. And my fear, is that if you die..."

"You won't come back."

Hat Kid was shocked, this was a lot to take in.

"That's why I worry so much! If I die, I'll come back. But if you die, who knows!" he shifted, so he could look at her better. "That's why we need to find your Time Piece! So we can send you home!"

"Right!" she said, a new fire in her eyes. "And it's in the swamp, right?"

"Most likely. Knowing Maxwell, he's probably going to be pulling some strings to make it difficult. I want to be absolutely prepared. So while my leg heals, and my ribs stop hurting," he winced, feeling the area where they were bruised. "We can gather supplies."

Hat Kid nodded. "Right!"

"Now, eat your dinner so you can get some sleep. Sensible bites."

"Wait, I think you should get some sleep tonight." she replied. "I haven't seen you sleep."

"I'll be fine, dear." he ruffled her hair. "Someone needs to watch the fire, and you need your sleep more than me."

She pouted, hands on her hips. "What if, we get the fire really big? And then we won't worry about it going out."

He scratched his chin. "I...suppose that could work."

She cheered, dumping a pile of logs into the fire pit. It shot up, roaring and crackling. Wilson whistled, noting the size and intensity. "Sure beats darkness."

Hat Kid giggled, munching on her steak and trying to snuggle against his side.

"Ow, ow, ribs!" he whimpered. "Here, try this." he shifted, so she was leaning more on his arm.

She hugged his arm, giving him a "Goodnight Wilson!" before starting to drift off.

"Goodnight, my dear." he purred, leaning against the log.

It wasn't long before the two were fast asleep.

* * *

Conductor shivered at the entrance of the Subcon woods. It was cold and dark, and he had heard it was full of ghosts.

There was no way the Lass would be in here.

"C'mon darling! You want to find her, or not?" Grooves shouted from a few yards away.

"I'm coming!" he shouted back, marching forward. "I want to find her! I just...dislike dark woods. And maybe she's not here."

"We talked to everyone in Mafia Town, I checked the Moon, you checked the studios. This is next on the list."

The birds yelped and screeched as they set off one of Snatcher's traps. Their confused screaming turned into arguing, both accusing each other of setting the trap.

After a few loud, angry moments, they fell out of the trap and into a purple expanse. Snatcher formed in front of him, ready to do his usual spiel.

 _ **"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLS!"**_ he roared _. "YOU BLEW IT! YOU BOTH SCREWED YOURSELVES!"_

Conductor screamed, hiding behind Grooves. Grooves was scared, but didn't show it as much as his business rival did. "H-Hello there good...sir. We're here to ask you a question?"

Snatcher's smile grew wider as he floated closer. "Is it to beg for mercy?"

"N-No," DJ Grooves pulled a small poster from his jacket. It was a photo from when he had Hat Kid run around and get publicity. "Have you seen this girl?"

Snatcher took the poster, squinting at it. "Wait...you know that Kid?" his tone softened, and sounded almost worried.

"Do you?" the birds asked simultaneously.

"Yeah! Little brat burst in, looking for Time Pieces? She thinks we're BFF's or something. I haven't seen her in a couple of days. Is she OK?" he asked, snapping his talons and causing the trap to disappear.

"We came to ask ye that!" Conductor stepped out from behind Grooves. "Ye haven't seen the Lassie either?"

Snatcher shook his head. "I sent my minions to search every nook and cranny, but they've turned up short. There's only one place we haven't looked." he pointed up, past the treeline and into the starry night sky.

"Her ship."


	5. Insanity, Singing, and Chester

Despite the fact that Hat Kid had watched Hounds tear Wilson's leg apart, he insisted on gathering supplies. He didn't like the idea of a small girl chopping down trees. So he would go into the woods to chop down trees for wood and gather various other supplies.

She was delegated to searching the grasslands their camp was in, picking grass, sticks, and anything else that seemed important. He had made her a little backpack to carry supplied, begged her to be careful, and gingerly limped into the woods with a new axe for wood.

She wandered the area, only occasionally being distracted by chasing rabbits and butterflies. Stumbling into a new area with lots of flowers, she saw beehives, and strange sinister looking beehives. Getting closer, swarms of red bees emerged from the sinister hive, causing her to scream and run away.

After a few hours, her backpack was full of things. She even snagged some honey when she accidentally swiped at a bee.

 _"Little hat girl!"_

She frowned. It sounded like Wilson, but he's never called her that. She skipped back to camp, meeting her companion. He was pulling logs and odd items out of his backpack. He seemed...different. The dark circles around his eyes seemed darker, and he seemed a bit...twitchy.

"Hey there! Look what I got!" he said, talking too fast for her to properly hear him. His words were slurred, and his eyes were a bit darker than usual.

"Um, OK?" she sat down on the grass.

"I got Logs, and I found some holes and got theese!" he slurred, dumping a handful of things on the dirt. There was a toy rocket ship, some frayed wire, some marbles, a cup and ball game, a kazoo, a toy robot, an old boot, and a bright, shiny red gem. "Actually I need this one." Wilson grabbed the red gem, shoving it back into his bag.

"Are you OK?" she asked, worried about his well being. "You seem..off."

"Grave digging isn't good for my mental health." he said casually, but before she could ask more, he started picking up some of the junk. "I thought of you with some of theseeee! These are toys! They can be fun!" he pointed at the robot. "Don't listen to him, all he does is lieeee." he hissed.

"Wilson I'm concerned." she stood up, taking a step back. She saw fear in his eyes.

"D-Don't leave! I'm OK! Here here here, if you want to help, aaaaahhh- I need mushrooms."

"Mushrooms?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Yeh! Mushrooms! They can be found sleeping in the dirt. Here's a shovel-thingy." he handed her a dirty shovel. His eye twitched. "I need aaaa...aaa red-no blue one. No no no! Green, red." he smiled at her, a little too wide for her liking.

"...whatever..." she muttered, slowly walking backwards out of the camp. Once he turned back to the red gem he had stashed away earlier, she sprinted away.

She didn't like what happened to him at all.

Hat Kid looked for holes in the ground where mushrooms were 'sleeping' as Wilson slurred. He must have started to lose his sanity. He tried to explain it once before, but it sounded confusing.

She tripped over a rock, stumbling and landing in a strange ring. It was a ring of little holes in the ground. Fumbling with the shovel, she dug up a couple of green mushrooms. "Oh geeze. Which color did he say again?"

 _You should eat it._ a voice whispered in her ear. _Then you'd know which one he wants._

She looked around. No one was there. It made some semblance of sense. She hesitantly tore a piece off the mushroom, and ate it.

* * *

Wilson hummed to himself as he worked on making armor for the two of them. He had died too many times to count in a swampy marsh due to a tentacle or some other cheap shot. Using the pig skin to make helmets and the logs to make suits. He had to account for how much smaller she was.

He still wasn't feeling a hundred percent. His headache was a full blown migraine from digging up those graves. But thanks to the flower crown he was wearing, he was a bit more aware.

Once she returned with those mushrooms he asked for, he'd be fine.

"Hey pal."

He angrily sighed. "I'm not talking to you. I'm busy." his hands twitched as he thought about strangling the demon.

Maxwell sat on the log next to him. "So, how have things been going?"

"Go away."

"I'm giving you a chance here, Higgsbury. Ditch the girl and you'll be rewarded _handsomely_." Maxwell insisted. "That time whatever she's been blabbering about; do you know what it could do? Do you know how _powerful_ it is? And you're going to waste it on a child?"

Wilson was quiet. He was vaguely aware of how Time Pieces worked, they could rewind time.

"You could go home, Higgsbury. She would take your place, and you could be... _free_." the demon hissed in his ear.

Wilson started howling with laughter. "You are more idiotic than I thought! You honestly think I would let _a child_ take my place?! You must take me for a psychopath! Now sod off! We're going to get that Time Piece, and she's going home! No matter what you say, or what you do!"

Maxwell snarled. _"Then you will stay here, forever!_ "

"Fine by me! SOD! OFF!" Wilson snarled.

"Fine! I will!" Maxwell fixed his suit, standing up. "Oh, and Higgsbury?" his voice took a sickeningly sweet tone. "I'd go check on your girl before it's too late."

He felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. He stood up, wincing as pain shot through his leg. He couldn't see her anywhere. Grabbing his spear, he started searching for her.

He found her curled in a little ball in a fairy ring. She was trembling, grabbing the brim of her hat and hiding her face with her top hat. She was muttering and mumbling incoherently as she twitched and trembled. There were two mostly eaten green mushrooms nearby.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no." he picked her up, holding her close. "You're OK! You're OK! You just ate some bad mushrooms."

"'msorrymsorrymsorryyyy" she whimpered, holding him tightly. "Make the bad shadows go away."

"I-I will." he assured her, using his free hand to dig out some green mushrooms. "You'll be OK. I got you."

He started to quickly walk back to camp (as quickly as he could with his leg), holding the sick girl tight. He set her down for a moment as he started a fire to cook the mushrooms. Once that was set up, he turned his attention back to the girl.

He tried to think about what his mom would do for him whenever he was sick as a young boy. It was all so fuzzy, how long ago was it? Wait, he remembered now!

 _"There is a flower within my heart, Daisy, Daisy!"_ he sang, his voice cracking slightly. He can't remember the last time he sang _. "Planted one day by a glancing dart, planted by Daisy Bell!"_ He held her close as she shivered and muttered, but as he sang, she grew quieter. _"Whether she loves me, or loves me not, sometimes it's hard to tell. Yet I am longing to share the lot, of beautiful Daisy Bell!"_

Hat Kid, who had previously hidden in her hat like some kind of slurtle, started to come out. She looked at him as he sang. _"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy! All for the love of you."_ he gently poked her nose _. "It won't be a stylish marriage...I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for two!"_ she had a small smile on her face as he sang to her.

"Oh, your mushrooms are done." he noticed, setting her down to make sure the mushrooms didn't burn.

"...dad?" she asked quietly.

Wilson froze. "D-Did you just..."

"msorry...msorry for getting sick." she whimpered.

"No no, don't apologize." he said, sitting next to her and handing her one of the mushrooms. "Eat this, it'll help with your headache."

She gently took the mushroom, leaning against him as she nibbled on it. "Canyousingmore?" she slurred quietly, looking up at him with large eyes.

He looked at all the supplies they had. They were fairly prepared to go explore the swamp, and it was getting late. "I suppose. I wasn't aware you liked my singing so much."

She wriggled closer, getting more comfortable. " 'S nice."

He hummed for a second, trying to remember the words. _"We will go tandem as man and wife, Daisy, Daisy! Peddling away down the road of life, me and my Daisy Bell! When the road's dark we can both despise, p'liceman and lamps as well."_ he tilted her head upwards slightly as he sang. " _There are bright lights in the dazzling eyes of my beautiful Daisy Bell!"_

They had reached the Chorus, and she was feeling much better mentally thanks to the mushroom and her friend's company. She tried to clumsily sing along with him. _"Daisy! Daisy! Give me your answer do. I'm half crazy, all for the love of you! It won't be a stylish marriage...I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for two!"_

He stopped singing, thinking. "And...I don't remember the rest. I haven't heard the song since I was a boy. Which, as you know, was centuries ago."

She laughed, and he snickered. "I'm sorry, Wilson."

"Don't apologize. I'm sorry I sent you out there like that. It was cruel of me to ask you to help with my sanity."

"Do we have enough supplies? How's your leg? Can we explore the swamp?" she asked in rapid fire succession.

"Slow down! We should have enough supplies, we should do a last sweep of the area to make sure. My leg feels sore, and if I put too much weight on it, it hurts. So we should be able to start exploring tomorrow."

His stomach gave a loud groan. His ears went red, and he gave a sheepish smile. "I don't recall eating today."

Hat Kid rolled her eyes and huffed. "Honestly, I don't know how you can just forget something like that." he gave a nervous snicker in reply, scratching the stubble on his chin.

"We have steaks, right?"

* * *

She was doing the last search of the grasslands before they left to search the swamp. She was really picking up anything she could find.

She froze, staring at the strange object on the ground.

It was a bone, with a closed eyeball with horns perched on one end. She hesitantly took the bone, staring at it curiously.

She heard something coming towards her.

Hat Kid started to run back to camp. "Wilson! Wilson I found this bone!" she cried out, hiding behind him a the thing got louder. Out of the grass came bounding a dog sized creature with thick, stubby legs, horns and a huge mouth. "What is that?!"

Wilson smirked. "Hand me the bone, please." he took the bone and kneeled down, allowing the animal to run up and start licking his face. "Dear, meet Otto von Chesterfield, Esq. I call him Chester for short."

"He's friendly? He's like a dog!" she started petting him, giggling as the animal licked her face.

"He's better than a dog! Watch this." he whistled, and Chester ran over. Then, Chester's mouth opened unnaturally wide. "You can put things in him. He's a mobile chest!"

"That's so cool! And kinda gross." she wrinkled her nose, thinking about the idea for a moment. Putting items, in something alive.

"Like most of this world, it's best that you don't think about it too hard. BUT! He is incredibly helpful to have. I'm glad we found him." Wilson started placing some gold nuggets, the steaks and other items. "Um, do you want any of those toys?" he asked, sounding a little shameful. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were thinking that I needed a toy! It was thoughtful. I want the spaceship!" she picked it up, dusting it off and placing it in Chester.

"Now. It's still light out. We best hurry into the swamp. I want to spend as _little_ time as possible." he shuddered, the hundreds of times he's died in swamps flashing back to him. "And I'm hoping to get a good demonstration of what I'm worried about. C'mon."

Wilson paced the edge of the marshland, looking for something. He told Hat Kid and Chester to stay a few paces back as he looked. She was starting to get a little worried, was he losing his mind again?

"Look over here." he gestured for her to come closer. Kneeling down, he pointed into the marsh. "See those bubbles over there?" a few feet into the marsh was a small patch where the water bubbled. "Watch closely." He picked up a rock, throwing it into the bubbles. There was a deep rumble and a massive, purple tentacle shot out of the ground. It roared, writhing in the air before sinking back down.

Hat Kid's jaw dropped. "What. Was. That?!" she shrieked, gesturing to where the monster once was.

"A tentacle. They're fast, mean, masters of surprise and pack a nasty punch." he stood up, dusting off his pants. "In fact, I was hoping I could carry you as we searched. I know how to spot and avoid them. And I love you, but you have the awful tendency to wander off."

She smirked. "Guilty as charged. And I'm not gonna complain about not walking." she looked back towards their new walking chest-dog. "What about Chester?"

"I'm not worried about him. Chester can take quite a beating. And in the event of an emergency, maybe any monsters we face will attack him instead of us."

"That's awful!" she said, calling Chester over for a hug.

"I am aware. But you do what you have to for survival. Let's get going."

* * *

Hat Kid's ship was much bigger than the three anticipated. "It's bigger than me studio!" Conductor marveled.

"She could be anywhere in here..." Snatcher noted. "Spread out."

"Oi! Since when were you in charge?" the owl challenged, puffing his chest and trying to look intimidating. It failed.

"I brought you two bird brains up here! I'm. In. Charge. Spread out." he snarled, quickly darting down a purple hallway.

DJ Grooves shrugged at the angry Conductor, and two began to look around. The Owl had almost gotten into a fist fight with Rumbi, who fearfully zipped away.

The two searched room after room before Snatcher appeared again, looking mighty pleased with himself and holding a book. "Look what I found! Her DIARY!" he cackled, opening the pages.

"Whoa, that's quite a breach of privacy." the DJ scolded. "I don't think we should read it."

"I have to agree. What if the lass finds out?"

"C'mon! Don't you want to know what she thinks about you two?" he purred, grinning.

The birds looked at each other, before they started squabbling about what the girl had written about them. Snatcher looked on in glee, satisfied with the chaos he had caused. "OK, OK. I'll go with you first." he pointed to the Conductor.

"I bet she adores me!" the Conductor whispered to the DJ.

Snatcher cleared his throat, then shifted into the form of Hat Kid. He was about to read, but taking the form of his small friend made him sad. He shifted back to normal. "This was at least a week ago. ' _I just met the strangest group of birds I have ever seen. Ever. One is a big disco penguin, and the other is a... uh... bird-ish thing? Is he even a bird? I have no idea. Birds don't usually have teeth, but this guy does. It's creepy.'_ Harsh!"

"WHA? She think's I'm creepy?!" he squawked indignantly.

"This is a bad idea already." DJ muttered to himself.

Snatcher flipped some more pages. "This is a few days later. _'the Conductor is definitely, um, how do I put this? "Loud"? "Pushy"? How about... "persuasive".'"_

"LOUD?! PUSHY?!" the owl screamed. "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?!"

The ghost read a bit more. "Not much. She said your job is probably hard and that you mumble a lot. She mentions how she's sick of being double-crossed...was that you?"

The Conductor's rage fizzled, replaced with shame. "Yeah...that was me."

"Tsk tsk. As for you," Snatcher pointed to DJ grooves, who gulped. "...she actually doesn't say too much about you. She says you're large. Now let's see what she says about me!" He turned a few pages. "This is a few days ago..."

He started laughing. "Little brat calls me a jerk at least three times! Someone needs a dictionary!"

"I'd appreciate you don't call my star a 'brat'." DJ Grooves said firmly. "And I don't believe that you hate her as much as you say you do."

Snatcher's eye twitched. "What do you mean?"

"I think you're just as worried as the two of us. If not more." the penguin pointed a flipper at him.

"Yeah! If you didn't care as much as ye said ye don't, why are ye here?" Conductor joined in now.

Snatcher's grin shifted into an angry snarl. "How dare you! I hate the brat!" he lied. "I want her soul and nothing more!"

Conductor and Grooves gave each other a knowing look.

"Hey, is that where she keeps her Time Pieces?" the owl pointed to the open vault. The three went to investigate the open vault.

"It's like she was in the middle of something..." Snatcher muttered, looking at the pile of Time Pieces yet to be sorted.

"Mr. Ghost, when was the last diary entry written?" DJ Grooves asked.

Snatcher opened the diary. "At least a couple days ago. And judging by her previous entries, she writes in it every day."

"So the Lassie just...vanished?" Conductor asked. "If she's not on the planet, and she's not in her ship, where could she be?!"

Grooves kneeled down, picking up a tiny piece of broken glass. "I don't know, darling. I don't know."


	6. Maxwell's Swamp

The swampy marsh was unpleasant to say the least. Wilson had insisted on carrying her, so Hat Kid wasn't experiencing wading thought ankle-deep murky sludge. Judging from various factors such as the color of the sludge, the disgusting noises it made, the smell, and how miserable Wilson looked, she assumed it wasn't nice.

They had a few close calls with Tentacles, appearing right in front of them. He would yelp and stumble backwards, wait for the tentacle to sink back down, and go around. In the distance, Hat Kid could see massive spider nests and small ponds. But they were still, and silent.

The two were miserable.

"This marsh seems much bigger than the Plains and the Woods..." she noted quietly.

"They usually are." Wilson groaned. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. I don't see it yet. Look up ahead!" she warned. A Tentacle shot up, and he stumbled backwards. But this time, he tripped over Chester and the two fell in the sludge.

Hat Kid shot up. "Ewww!" she tried to pull the sludge off her clothes, eventually shaking herself like a dog.

"Hey, hey!" he shouted, trying to shield his face as he sat up. He angrily sighed, running his hands through his hair to try to remove the sludge. After a moment, it popped back into place.

She couldn't help but snicker.

"Yeah yeah laugh all you want. But just remember it's in _your_ hair too." he said, rather smug.

She ran fingers through her hair as well to try to remove the sludge. She shuddered. It would be in her hair for weeks!

"You want to walk?" he asked, standing up.

"I can walk!" she put on her sprint cap so she could keep up.

"Stay behind me. _Please_." he emphasised. He knew how easily distracted she was. "If you see something, _tell me_. Don't go wandering off." He grabbed the spear he had dropped, and walked around the tentacle.

She held his hand. "Do you think...they miss me back home?" she squeezed his hand.

"If they don't, they're a bunch of fools." he squeezed her hand back as a form of reassurance. "Your friends seem nice, except for that Conductor fellow. Any bloke willing to harm their staff, a young girl, and their own train to make a movie is an imbecile in my eyes." he paused. "And this 'Snatcher' you also mention seems a bit unpredictable. But I'm sure they miss you. I would."

She giggled. "You use old-timey swears. They're quite the characters alright."

"They're not 'old-timey'!" he replied, rather indignantly.

Aside from the occasional tentacle scare, the marsh was honestly a little underwhelming. Sticky and gross? Yes. Full of weird tentacle monsters? Oh totally.

But she didn't see the big deal that Wilson was making earlier.

And then it turned into dusk.

The marsh seemed to explode with life, and not in the good way. The spider nests pulsated and convulsed as spiders crawled out, searching for fresh prey. The ponds, once dormant, now had monsterous mosquitoes fly out of them and buzzing around. Even the tentacles seemed more active as hapless spiders and mosquitoes would get too close and meet a swift and painful end.

Hat Kid gulped, and she heard Wilson heave a tired sigh. "God. Dammit."

"Peck!"

* * *

Their previously slow trudge through the marsh had turned into a hectic shamble. Because it was twilight, it was harder to see the tentacles, leading to some _very close calls._ They ran into quite a few spiders, and the mosquitoes would not leave them alone.

"It's been twilight for a while now?" she asked, looking at the sun. It was if someone was holding it in place, like a ball on a string.

"It'll be dusk for a few hours. Unless there's some executive meddling..." he glared at the sky, at the hidden puppetier.

"You're talking about Maxwell, right? I think I saw him." she casually mentioned.

"What?!" he scooped her up, holding her close and brandished his spear. "Where?! When?!"

"Relax! It wasn't here. It was yesterday. After I went crazy from those mushrooms." Wilson hesitantly set her back down. "I looked up at the sky, and I could see him sitting there, in the sky. Looking at me. He's this really old dude, right?"

"Yeah, that's him. Althought I don't know what 'Dude' means."

"It's just slang." she quickly explained.

"He just stared at you? Odd." he frowned, scratching his chin as he thought.

Hat Kid tensed up. "I feel it. I feel it! I FEEL IT! THE TIME PIECE!" she squealed, hopping up and down. There was a feeling in the air. Something otherwordly, but in a good way. It made you hopeful and curious.

"Really? Where?"

"It's close! We're close!" she started to sprint forward, until he grabbed her cape and pulled her back.

"Hey! Hey! What did I tell you?" he scolded, bringing her back. "I asked you specically not to run off! We'll find it. I promised, remember?"

"I know, I know." she pouted.

"Stay close, let's keep searching. Spider coming onto your left-" he warned. She spun around, swinging her umbrella into the spider's ugly face.

"Wilson? What happens when it gets dark?" she asked, looking at the motionless sun.

He shuddered. "Then..we'll spend the night. I don't want to, but we will if we have to."

As they continued walking, Hat Kid could hear a faint noise, signalling the Time Piece. "Do you hear that?!" she chirped, tugging on his pant leg.

"I...think I do. It's sounds like, a faint harp. A soft piano, or a really old clock. It's...nice." he gave her a small smile.

As the two (and Chester) emerged from some reeds, their hope was shattered.

They could see the Time Piece in the distance. Behind the Time Piece was a statue of Maxwell himself, and a ring of Evil Flowers surrounded both the statue and the Time Piece. There were dozens of broken and dirty houses. Behind the houses were large, angry Tentacles slashing at everything around them. Hulking fish monsters roamed the area, seemingly offering gifts to the Time Piece like some old God.

The world was suddenly thrown into an eerie, blue light. Looking up, there was a huge, full moon looming in the sky above them.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?!" Hat Kid screamed, and Wilson shushed her quickly. "I say we storm in, and take it!" she angrily whispered.

"Sshh sh sh!" he shushed. "Listen, dear. I've seen you do amazing things. Wonderful things that I have a hard time believing. Some part of me believes I've made you up in my mind thanks to years of loneliness and the desire to have a daughter. But I am _not_ about to let you storm in there!"

"Well, Mister Smarty, so how are we going to do this?" she placed her hands on her hips and frowned. She wanted her Time Piece back, and soon.

"Let's break this down. We have Merms, Tentacles, Spiders, and Mosquitoes. Now, by themselves, those monsters are hard to deal with. Together? We're going to have a hard time." he smirked. "But, the best way to deal with them, is to start a war."

Her eyes lit up. "I'm listening..."

They quickly formed a plan. Hat Kid and Chester worked on luring spiders and mosquitoes closer to the mass of Tentacles near the Merms. Wilson, after much pressuring from Hat Kid, sacrificed one of their steaks to lure the Merms closer to the Tentacles as well.

The two watched in anticipation as the monsters got closer, and closer. Then, it happened. A Merm reached to grab a steak, and a tentacle exploded from the ground, slashing the Merm. The fish person screeched, and more fish people came to join. Merms and Tntacles fought one another, until one messed up and attacked a spider who had gotten too close to the fray.

And then a war began.

Merms, Spiders, and Tentacles had all started fighting a brutal bloodbath, punching and biting and killing anything that got too close, including their own kind.

"It was a good use for that steak." Wilson muttered to himself.

"Not the time! Let's go get that Time Piece!" she grabbed his hand and started to run into the Merm Town Center.

"Slow down! You're going to get noticed!" he whispered, glancing at the ongoing war. The Merms seemed to be winning, as Spider Corpses littered the ground and the Tentacles were becoming sluggish due to their wounds.

Hat Kid rushed ahead, entering the Time Piece Bubble, as she called it. The time outside the bubble seemed to slow down. Smiling, she walked up to the Time Piece. It wa the same one no doubt, having cracks in it and dark swirls inside. Grabbing it, the bubble shrank inwards, leaving her in normal time again.

"WE NEED TO GO!" he shouted. The Merms had finished murdering Tentacles and Spiders, and had noticed the small child touching their God. The shrieked and roared, charging at the two.

As one slammed into the statue of Maxwell behind her, she ran towards Wilson. He scooped her up, running out of the village with Merms hot on their tail. Thinking quickly, he set her down on top of Chester, pulling out the Eyebone. "Hold tight, I'll distract them." He threw the eyebone as far into the distance as he could.

Chester shot off, chasing the Eyebone. She held on tight to it's fur as it ran off, looking back to her companion in worry. Wilson was being chased by Merms, darting in strange directions. She smiled, noticing that where he ran to, Tentacles spouted up behind him to attack the Merms chasing him.

They were so distracted by Tentacles and various spiders caught in the fray, Wilson and Hat Kid managed to slip away.

* * *

Hat Kid and Chester waited at the edge of the swamp for Wilson to catch up. As he got closer, she ran up to hug him. He looked overjoyed, before his face shifted to one of horror. Sprinting to her, he knocked her out of the way and to the ground.

"Hey! What was-" she went pale. There was a disgusting sounding _**SQUELCH,**_ and all went silent.

He looked down at the tip of the tentacle protruding from his chest. Blood seeped into his clothes through the wound, and blood pooled from his mouth and nose. Tearing his eyes away from the fatal wound, he locked eyes with Hat Kid. He shakily smiled. "H-Hey, don't cry. I'll be fine."

She began hyperventalating and tears streamed down her cheeks. "W-Wilson?"

"I'm OK! I-I'll be fine! D-Don't, don't cry, my dear!" he assured, coughing into his hand, and trying to wipe the blood from his face.

"YOU'RE NOT FINE! YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" she wailed, hugging his leg.

"Look at me, look at me! I-I'm going to be OK. Trust me. I'm going to be OK-" the Tentacle ripped itself out of his chest, sinking back into the ground. He gasped for air, stumbling forward before sinking to the ground.

She screamed, trying to pull him up. He coughed, rolling onto his back. The nearby sludge began to run red with the blood coming out of the gaping wound. He weakly smiled. She was bawling, unable to help her fallen friend.

"I'm...going...to be...fine." he whispered, grasping her hand. "Just...you..watch." his eyes went dark.

And Wilson was gone.

Shuddering from sobbing, she hid her face in her hands. She got her Time Piece. She could go home. But at what cost? She never wanted this.

His chest was glowing red.

Blinking, and trying to stop her tears, she looked closer. No, something under his vest was glowing red. With shaky hands, she opened his vest to reveal a amulet. It glowed brighter, and began to float in the air.

To her utter shock, and with hope starting to fill her heart, his wound began to heal. The gaping hole in his chest began to seal up, and even his ruined clothes began to repair themselves. She looked back to the amulet, which was hovering even higher, held in place thanks to the chain around his neck.

Then, it went dark. The once red gem was now a dull grey. It fell back down, and Wilson shot back up, gasping for breath.

Squealing in delight, she tackled him in a hug. He was alive! She tried to talk, but could only cry.

"I'm sorry, my dear." he hugged her tightly in return. "I told you I'd be OK! Don't cry, my dear."

But that was all she could do.

It had been such a long day. But everything had worked out.

She had her dad back.


	7. Home Free

After the sun had risen, and Wilson had comforted her some more, Hat Kid and her companion had made it back to camp.

"So! We did it! You got your Time Piece?" he asked, kneeling down to her level.

She nodded, excitedly pulling out the Time Piece in question. "May I see it?" he held his hands out. His inner scientist was dying to look at the alien tech. She carefully handed it to him, and he held it close.

"So all you need to do, is smash it on the ground?" he asked.

"Well, that's the plan. I was gonna think of home when I smash it. It's not like I can go to any worse dimension."

He handed her back the Time Piece, and snapped his fingers. "Like the Wizard of Oz! There's no place like Home."

"Yeah! Exactly!"

Wilson's smile flickered. "So, um. I guess...this is goodbye, huh?"

Hat Kid's smile vanished. She would've started crying if she hadn't had such an emotional outlet twenty minutes go. "No...no, no! No I'm not leaving you!" Placing the Time Piece on the ground, she ran up and hugged him tight.

"Dear, it's OK." he returned the hug. "There's only one Time Piece. It's simply not possible."

She angrily pulled away. "Well, I can figure something out!" She wouldn't let him stay here. She wouldn't. She couldn't!

"Dear, it's not going to work. It's not scientific-"

"YOU'RE NOT SCIENTIFIC!" she shouted. She was heartbroken and angry. How could he even suggest staying here?! "Please..." she whimpered. "...can we at least try?"

He frowned. It was too easy. "...how would we do this?"

"M-Maybe, I hold your hand, and-and-and you hold Chester, and we smash the Time Piece on the ground, and you come with me!"

 _It was too easy._

"...Will it make you happy? What if something happens? What if you stay here, but it takes me instea-'

"And what if it doesn't?!" she interrupted. "We won't know until we try! Please? Please, please please?! I don't want to leave you here. I can't! This place is...a nightmare! PECK!"

"Dear, I've tried for years to escape this hellscape of an island. Is it really going to be this easy?" he held his head in his hands.

"Please." she slowly grabbed his hand. Looking into her eyes, he found himself unable to say no. With his free hand, he put the Eyebone inside Chester, and picked up the large fuzzball.

He looked around this world, for hopefully the last time. "We're ready, my dear."

Closing her eyes, Hat Kid thought of the planet her friends was on. Her _home_. She thought of her ship, and her bed and her diary, and Rumbi! She thought about Conductor, whom she hasn't quite forgiven yet, but missed dearly. She thought about Grooves and how fun he was, and how he protected her. She thought about Snatcher and how mischevous he was, she missed him a lot. She thought about Mustache Girl- scratch that. She didn't miss Mustache Girl.

And she thought about Wilson. The man who had saved her life multiple times, and helped her these past few days. She wanted him to come with, and Chester too! They would be closer than friends.

They could be family.

She dropped the Time Piece.

* * *

She felt carpet underneath her feet. And air conditioning! She didn't realize how much she missed A/C until she had it back. Slowly opening her eyes, she was greeted to the familiar sight of her wonderful ship. Looking at her hands, she was holding the Time Piece in one...

And in the other...

With glee, she was still holding Wilson's hand.

He was holding Chester under one arm, and hiding his eyes with his hand. "Wilson!" she squeaked excitedly. "Open your eyes!"

"Well, hearing your voice means either it went very well, or very badly." he mumbled, slowly removing the hand from his face. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "..Pinch me, I'm hallucinating."

She happily obliged, pinching his arm. He yelped and dropped Chester. The living chest bounded down and started to explore. "Little too hard, my dear. But...this is real?"

"IT'S REAL!" she shouted, climbing down the ladder into the lower hub of the ship. "IT'S MY SHIP! MY WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL SHIP!" she flopped on the ground, rubbing the carpet. "I missed you so much!"

He slowly climbed down the ladder, staring at everything in awe; as if he was in a dream. He winced as he accidentally kicked something. She gasped and ran over. "RUMBI!" she cheered, picking up the robot vacuum. "Did you miss me?!" Rumbi beeped and piped excitedly, clearly happy to see her.

"What is that?!" he asked, leaning closer. "An automaton?"

"This is Rumbi! He's my robot vacuum cleaner! He keeps this place clean for me, ain't that right bud?" she set him down, patting his head. Rumbi piped and beeped angrily, zipping down a hallway. "What is it boy? What's wrong?!" she asked, darting after him.

Wilson blinked. This was a lot to take in. He slowly followed her, stepping back in shock when the door opened by itself. He could hear her angrily ranting from inside. Stepping in, he smiled at the bed, and the massive amount of pillows. "Is this your room? It's adorable."

"SOMEONE CAME IN HERE, DUG THROUGH MY PILLOWS AND READ MY DIARY!" she screamed, pointing to the diary on my bed.

"Who would do that?" he asked, picking up one of the pillows. He missed pillows. And here he was, holding one. He never thought he'd see the day.

She angrily flipped through the book. "UGH! Snatcher! I should've known!"

"How can you tell?"

She showed him the page, written in an excessively curly font and purple ink. _**Hey Kiddo!We looked for you in your ship. Those two idiotic birds dragged me along. I'm only here to set booby traps, go through your stuff and try to take your soul. See ya around! -S"**_

"What a...charming character." he nervously smiled. "They were worried about you. Although I don't understand what he means by birds-"

"You'll see why soon enough!" she shut the book. "Now get outta here so I can hide this again!"

After apologizing, he quickly left the room. Sitting in the hub room, petting Chester, Wilson still thought he was dreaming. After years of abuse and physical mental torment, he was...free.

Finally free.

* * *

After she had checked the entire place for Booby Traps, (and told Wilson where to shower, he needed one) Hat Kid had one thought on her mind.

To visit some old friends.

But where too first? Subcon? Dead Bird Studios? After the note Snatcher left, she decided on Dead Bird Studios.

She ran to the entrance of the studio, practically ecstatic. How long had it been? Only four days? It seemed so much longer.

She burst through the doors to the lobby, shouting at the top of her lungs: _**"I'M BACK EVERYBODY!"**_

Penguins and Owls alike stopped what their doing, and started to surround her.

 _"She's back!"_

 _"She's back!"_

 _"We missed you!"_

 _"Where've you been?!"_

 _"SOMEONE GET CONDUCTOR AND GROOVES!"_

She giggled and laughed as the owls and penguins bombarded her with affection and questions. It felt nice to be missed.

The doors to Conductor's part of the studio burst open. "WHAT DO YE PECK NECKS THINK YER DOING?!"

Her heart jumped. For someone who tried to stab her a couple weeks ago, she was so happy to hear that scottish accent. She pushed to the front of the crowd. "Conductor!"

Conductor took a hesitant step forward. "L-Lassie? Yer back!" he ran foward, practically tackling her in a spine crushing hug. "Lassie! I was so worried about ye!"

She wheezed, patting his back. "C-Con...Conductor..I can't breathe!"

"Ye were gone, and we couldn't find ye! I was so worried!" he let her go of the hug, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I..I thought you left because of me..."

"No! No, no no! Not at all." she assured. "I have a lot to tell you, and Grooves, and Snatcher!"

"Darling!" the large penguin quickly made the scene. He also hugged her a bit too tight for her spine's liking. "There you are! We were so worried, darling. Where were you?!"

"It's a long story! And I have a lot to tell you! But I can't stay long, I have a guest in my ship!" she kissed both of the birds on the cheeks.

"Guest?" they both asked her, but she only smiled in reply.

"You'll find out soon enough!"

In the shadows, a minion of Snatcher muttered excitedly to himself. "She's back!" they sunk back into the shadows, appearing back in the Subcon. Soon, the entire forest was full of whispers about 'The Girl with the Hat is back' and 'She has a guest'.

Snatcher heard the whispers, and became irritated. How dare she didn't come see him first! Oh well. She was back for him to torment, and now she had a 'guest' to torment as well...

Back at Dead Bird Studio, the Conductor and DJ Grooves tried to get more information out of Hat Kid. "So, where did you go exactly darling? No offense but it looks - and smells - like you went camping for a month."

"I think it makes her look tough!"

"Well, it wasn't a month, and it wasn't _exactly_ camping." she said, wiping some smudge off her cheeks.

"And who is this 'guest' you have, Lassie?"

She paused. How would you describe Wilson? "Well, the place I went to, he saved me! He kept me safe and help me get home. His name is Wilson."

"He sounds wonderful darling, when do we get to meet him?" DJ asked. Maybe her friend could also explain where she was spirited away to.

"Yeah! I want to thank him for keeping ye safe, Lassie."

"W-Well, um uh," she stammered, thinking hard. Would Wilson be ready for guests? This was a big culture shock for him. "How about tomorrow? On my ship?"

She shifted the conversation. "HEY! WHY'D YOU GO THROUGH MY DIARY?!" she shouted, angrily pointing a finger at the two of them. They immediately started to stutter and look away, trying to look for a good excuse.

"W-We were trying to see where ye went, Lassie!" Conductor replied. "We were worried!"

"We didn't read anything personal, darling. I promise." DJ assured. Which was technically true, the two _listened_ to Snatcher reading the Diary.

She angrily huffed. "I'm gonna go back to my ship now. See you tomorrow!"

* * *

One thing Hat Kid quickly learned is that Wilson had an appetite from _Hell_. From what she could gather, after he showered, he stumbled into her kitchen, and the rest is history.

"I wasn't gone for very long. How did you clean my fridge so fast?" she asked, in shock and a little awe. Even the food that Cooking Cat had called 'disgusting' was gone.

"Sorry." he muttered, looking at the floor.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. At least it's just the fridge." she closed the door. "Listen, some friends want to come over to check up on me, and see you."

"See me?" he asked, pointing to himself. "You told them about me?"

"Of course! You saved me a bunch! Why wouldn't I tell them about you? You're only the greatest scientist I know!"

His face went a bright red. "Well! Well I mean, I mean, thank you. When are they coming?"

"Tomorrow. Oh! You're gonna spend the night! It'll be like a slumber party!" she squealed.

"A what?" he asked as she started to drag him out of the kitchen.

"We can make popcorn, and watch movies and stay up late! We can sleep on the couch and I can take pillows from my room and have fun! Oh, but first, let me take a quick shower."

Wilson hadn't put up any fight. He was at the mercy of this small, rambunctious child, and he was fine with that. Children must be children, and if his company made her happy, so be it.

He still felt like he was dreaming, and would wake back up in a straw roll back in the Constant.

If he was dreaming, he was going to enjoy it.


End file.
